Johanna Kindvall won’t share her secret spot for picking wild cherries, but she’s happy to share this lovely cherry pie recipe.
Text and illustration by Johanna Kindvall
There is an old railroad path where the tracks have been gone for many years. Nasty weeds such as stinging nettles are about to take over as almost no one walks there anymore. Along the path a little further on grows some black cherry trees. The cherries are tiny, sweet with a slight almond taste. They are absolutely fantastic and something I long for every summer. Its a great treat (despite the burning weeds) to eat directly or to freeze for pies and hot sauces in the Autumn. As they are just too good to be left on the tree for the birds to eat, I will continue coming back each year.
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Wild Cherry Pie
- Total Time: 80 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Description
This almond-rich cherry pie combines the sweet, slightly almond-flavored wild cherries with a buttery almond crust, creating a delightful summer treat.
Ingredients
- 300 ml (1 1/4 cup) milled almonds
- 100 g (3 1/2 oz) butter
- 5 tbsp (75 ml) sucanat*
- About 750 ml pitted black wild cherries (or similar)
Instructions
- With your hands, mix together the butter, milled almonds, and sucanat until well combined. The dough should feel a little sticky, not crumbly.
- Let the dough rest in the refrigerator for about an hour to firm up.
- Preheat your oven to 180°C (350°F).
- Press the dough into a pie dish, spreading it evenly across the bottom and up the sides.
- Fill the pie crust with the pitted black wild cherries, spreading them out evenly.
- Bake in the preheated oven for about 15 minutes, or until the edges of the crust are golden brown and the cherries are bubbling.
- Allow the pie to cool slightly before serving.
Notes
- If you can’t find sucanat, you can substitute it with muscovado sugar or regular brown sugar.
- The pie is best served slightly warm.
- Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- This pie can also be made with other types of cherries if wild cherries are unavailable.
- Prep Time: 65 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Cuisine: Scandinavian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 350
- Sugar: 25
- Sodium: 50
- Fat: 20
- Carbohydrates: 40
- Fiber: 4
- Protein: 5
- Cholesterol: 30
* Sucanat is a brown sugar type extracted from the sugar cane. Its perfect to bake with and gives cakes and cookies a richer taste. In the US you can often find Sucanat in organic shops. If you can’t find sucanat you may use muscovado sugar or even regular brown sugar instead. When I’m in Sweden I use farin sugar which works really well too. 
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is sucanat and what can I substitute for it?
Sucanat is a minimally processed brown sugar extracted directly from sugar cane that gives baked goods a richer, slightly molasses-like taste. The article notes you can substitute muscovado sugar or regular brown sugar; in Sweden, farin sugar also works well.
Is this a traditional pastry crust?
No — the crust is made from 300 ml of milled almonds, 100 g of butter, and 5 tbsp of sucanat, mixed by hand into a slightly sticky dough and pressed into the pie dish. It is naturally gluten-free and has a rich, nutty character very different from flour-based pastry.
What do wild black cherries taste like?
The article describes them as tiny, sweet, with a slight almond taste — quite distinct from cultivated cherries. The recipe notes confirm you can use other cherry varieties if wild ones are unavailable, though that almond note will be absent.
What a cool, simple, but genius recipe. and love the drawing!!
Great recipe. Picking mine now! And you can eat nettles!!!
This looks amazing. If only I could still get the main ingredient!
Thanks Sara! The season is over here too! Luckily I have still some in my freezer.